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Ban Hyo-jin Celebrates 19th Birthday with Precious Bronze Medal

Seo Dae-won

Published : Sep 21, 2026 7:51 AM

Video

[Anchor]

Paris Olympics shooting gold medalist Ban Hyo-jin has claimed a precious bronze medal in her first-ever Asian Games appearance. Yesterday, September 20, happened to be her 19th birthday.

Reporter Seo Dae-won has the details.

[Reporter]

Competing in the women's 10m air rifle individual event, Ban Hyo-jin advanced to the eight-shooter final by finishing second in the preliminary round.

The final format requires shooters to fire two series of 10 shots each, followed by two-shot eliminations where the lowest-scoring competitor is eliminated one by one. Having secured at least a bronze medal by holding onto third place through 20 shots, Ban aimed for a late comeback, but finished third after scoring 9.6 on her final shot.

Having conquered the Paris Olympics two years ago and the World Championships last year, Ban sought to complete an individual grand slam by adding the Asian Games title. While she will have to wait for the next opportunity, she stepped onto the podium with a bright smile despite any lingering regrets.

With yesterday marking her 19th birthday, Ban burst into a wide smile after receiving congratulations from her young nephew, and beamed once more at a surprise gift from reporters in the interview area.

[Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~]

[Ban Hyo-jin / National Shooting Team Member: Mom, thank you so much for giving birth to me. My filial duty isn't over yet, so don't be disappointed and keep watching over me.]

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In the earlier women's individual time trial cycling event, Shin Ji-eun won the bronze medal, becoming the first member of the national delegation to capture a medal.

[Shin Ji-eun / National Cycling Team Member: I am truly grateful for this wonderful outcome and honor today. Go Team Korea!]

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Led by Yook Seo-young, who scored 20 points, the women's volleyball national team defeated Kazakhstan 3-0 to advance to the semifinals.

Our team will face Japan, which advanced by defeating Chinese Taipei, today for a spot in the finals.

(Video by: Park Jin-ho | Video Editing by: Lee Jae-sung | Design by: Hwang Se-yeon)